Malik Rose went to Philly’s Overbrook High, alma mater of Wilt Chamberlain, but that’s where the Stilt comparisons start and end. Not because of a lack of desire, heart or skill; it’s just a question of size and time. From Overbrook, Rose headed to nearby Drexel University, where the 6-6 (he’s listed at 6-7, but no way) center dominated the North Atlantic Conference. Of course, being the Shaq of the NAC and stomping schools like Delaware (Blue Hens represent!) doesn’t exactly cause Darkomania, so Malik slipped into the second round, where he was selected 44th overall by the then-Charlotte Hornets.

Thing is, the second round actually works out better for some people, and after a quiet year in Carolina, Malik got picked up by the Spurs. Starting would’ve been nice, but backing up Tim Duncan, who also joined the Spurs that summer, was almost better. Getting that ‘chip in ’99 was the payoff. Malik only got 64 minutes for the series, but you knew better things were coming.

So he bided his time, making friends with everyone from the beat writers to TD, his infectious smile spreading like wildfire. San Antonio became home. His offcourt contributions may have outshined his numbers, but his post-grad post education was continuing under professors Duncan, Robinson and Willis. When the 2003 Finals rolled around, he was ready. And in Game 3, when 7-2 Dikembe Mutombo rose to meet him in the lane, Rose just raised higher, cocked his arm further back, and let loose. So forget the comparisons. Just know that wherever he is these days, Wilt is smiling.

The last decade proved an definitive one for benches. Much ink was spilled over the rise of a new breed of superstar; it seemed no one would play hard as second-fiddle let alone auxiliary tuba (Mbenga). But if the Chicago Bulls’ success in the 90s taught bball fans anything, it was that a great team needs great players… and several not-so-great players (Cliff Levingston, Jud Buechler). Phil Jackson’s ability to get role players to play roles was discussed as frequently as was his ability to get star players to play hard. Indeed, ask any talking head on ESPN and they will tell you: a championship team needs depth. And depth is measured with a bench. So, with all this in mind, I wonder: what was the best bench of the last decade?

The bench, as a unit, defies the traditional rubrics of basketball excellence. Thus, the bench testifies to the abilities of the players, the charisma and planning of the coach, and the eye of the GM. Playing a secondary role, a bench becomes great not by amassing column-bending statistics but through effort, heart, resilience, and readiness. Two points in four minutes might not look like much on a box score but in the heat of the moment, with a star player limping off to the locker room, they might mean the difference between champion and also-ran.

In looking back over the decade and attempting to figure out which bench was best, achievement became a useful and appropriate guide. As a certain line of thinking goes, the best team is the one that wins the championship; even if this isn’t necessarily so, it is true that only raised stakes and a playoff atmosphere can really tell you what kind of team you have.

So, I went back and looked at all teams in the decade passed who’d played in their Conference Championship; from among these 40 teams, I chose one bench, the one whose role in their team’s excellence seemed more crucial than any other bench. I looked at the box scores from most regular season games and every playoff game those teams played in to get a sense of who did what and when (thank you basketball-reference.com). How many minutes did they play? How many points did they score? What sort of contribution did they make on the defensive end in terms of steals, blocks, and rebounds? How long had they been just sitting there before they came in and grabbed five boards and three assists in Game 7 of the Conference Semi-finals? Aggregate bench production, in terms of discrete stats and efficiency (eff), was another important factor (thank you hoopstats.com). Without further ado…

Despite having a hilarious amount of talent on their bench, the best bench was not the ’99-00 Portland Trail Blazers, though they trotted out Schrempf, Brian Grant, Bonzi Wells, Stacey Augmon, Greg Anthony, and the then-little-known Jermaine O’Neil. What? When the bench played well, the Blazers won but too often (clearly) they didn’t show. These Blazers reasonably expected to win it all on talent alone; we were a little glad they didn’t. One suspects that many of these stars-turned-bench players were unhappy with their role. Though they posted decent numbers (eff=35), our memories attest that they just seemed a little bored with it all.

Even if the Blazers failed to get a ring, they did succeeded in showing us that talent alone does not a great bench make. In so doing, they form a perfect corollary to the Best Bench of the Decade: the ’02-03 Spurs. The rotating cast included: Malik Rose (24.5 mpg., 10.4 ppg., 6.4 rpg.), Manu Ginobli (20.7 mpg., 7.6 ppg., 2 apg., 1.4 st.), Steve Smith, Speedy Claxton, Kevin Willis, Steve Kerr and Danny Ferry. Though the Spurs’ bench W-L match-ups (55-49 hoopstats) turned out less favorably than other teams, they played consistently, performing only slightly less well in games the Spurs lost (compared to the Blazers Bench, who played poorly in games that team lost).

For this bench, more than any other, the numbers lie. Nothing impressive numerically, but when Pop called a number, they were ready. Even the 12th man in their rotation (Danny Ferry) could wind up starting a playoff game, playing 30 minutes, and then come back six games later for 10 minutes and give solid output without every expecting to play again. Though the same could be said of any Spurs team in this decade, this squad (with the exception of Duncan) manifested perfect syncretism, with regular-season starters becoming bench players (Steve Smith, who didn’t even play in some games) and bench players blossoming into starts (Ginobli, of course).

And there are epic moments, like Kerr’s four clutch threes against the Mavs, effectively crushing their German over soul. He hadn’t played the entire playoffs yet Popovic felt completely comfortable going to the toe-headed assassin. There was Malik Rose’s slam over Mutumbo in the finals that jump started a groggy Spurs team and started a 19-5 run, which led to the Spurs gaining the finals edge against the Nets. Recall, that Rose also dropped 25 in 27 minutes in a must-win Game 2 (Spurs lost the opener) against the Mavs. He also played about 10 minutes more per game than Robinson. Even Kevin Willis had his moments, hitting a 40-foot jumper at the end of the first half of Game 1 against the Lakers. While no one remembers this team or these finals (perhaps the most boring of the decade), from a pure basketball point of view, this bench was the best. And they have the rings to prove it

Honorable mentions go to the ’01-02 Nets, with Richard Jefferson coming off the bench with the other Aaron Williams and Anthony Johnson. That same year, the Kings subbed in Turkoglu (until Peja went down in the playoffs at which point Hedu stepped right in and killed it), Bobby Jackson (who won 6th man the following year), Gerald Wallace, and (drum roll) Lawrence Fundeburke. That whole squad flowed as smoothly as a stream, a European stream, though their eff was less than the ’99-00 Blazers (further proof that stats are not the be-all when it comes to benches). Also: last year’s Nuggets (JR, Birdman, Kleiza, A. Carter), the Champion Celts (recall the late-addition Cassell, the unpronounceable Powe, and the uncontainable Big Baby), and any bench in any year that had a chair for Robert Horry.

I feel like I’ve been through the war and back today! Or tonight, since I’m writing this around, oh, it’s about 5:37 a.m. EST right now. Losing that hour last night, kicked my ass. It should have kicked the Jazz, but of course, they took down the Raptors.

Story of our lives here in Toronto.

Utah’s won 11 straight. 11! They had to deal with the time difference and also losing an hour because of the clocks going ahead Saturday night but still pulled out the win in the fourth. Deron Williams said he fell asleep on the training table 15 minutes before the game, Kyle Korver said he woke up at 1 a.m. and was lying in bed until 4, then woke up at 8 totally confused about whether it was 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. The guys were not thrilled with the early start, but they were able to heat up late and take care of business.

Also, Jerry Sloan is amazing.

I was able to witness Dwyane Wade’s amazing 42-point performance on 17-23 field goals Friday night. I’ve since decided it was the best performance I’ve seen live, slightly beating out Kobe’s 46-point night in February of ’08.

He was incredible. He was also incredibly nice. While I felt as though I spoke with him forever one-on-one after the game, when I sat down to transcribe my piece over at The Score, I quickly realized a lot of what was said wasn’t quoteworthy. What I DID forget to ask (of course), was how it felt to drop the 41 on the eve of his SLAM cover. I had so many things to ask and Dwyane was just so laid back and easy that I got off track.

Either way, Cheryl and Eboy, your boy was fantastically nice and had the media in Toronto smiling.

My favorite Wade play of the night? There were many that were absolutely lovely, but this one , takes the cake.

I know, I know, he got his first ejection of his career in the final minutes of the Heat’s loss the Cleveland on Saturday night. The Cavs were a handful, with Delonte and Mo playing so well together as Bron picked up another triple-double on the season.

So, the Thunder won again tonight. This time it was against the Sixers, 89-74, and again, it was without Durant and Green. Malik Rose was huge for OKC, giving 14 points and 11 rebounds while Nenad Krstic had 20 points and 8 assists, while shooting 10-13 from the floor. Our boy Nick Collison had 12 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Philly had 20 points from Andre Miller who seemingly has found the fountain of youth* and 20 from Thaddeus Young as well.

*a quick google search shows Miller as being born in 1976. Okay, so he’s not really that old at all… It just feels like he’s been around forever. Is this just me?

Another game I didn’t see (because I was watching Pat Mills and St. Marys get a W last night!), was Sacramento grabbing their 14th win of the season by taking down the 40-24 Denver Nuggets, 114-106 despite Carmelo Anthony finishing with 32 points, Chauncey Billups finishing with 22 points and 8 assists and JR Smith adding 19. Kevin Martin had 26 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists for the Kings, Andres Nocioni had 23 points and Spencer Hawes tied a career-high with 20 points to go with 8 rebounds as the Kings hit 14 three-pointers compared to only four for the Nuggets.

We established in Friday’s edition of the Post Up that I don’t understand or care for the +/- stat on a boxscore. When Leon Powe is the only Celtic with a + (+8), in an 86-79 point loss to the Magic, his 12 points and 7 rebounds in 29:59 minutes of play looks pretty good. I’m just saying, Doc. Give Powe more time!

Still can’t believe we have Stephon Marbury as the starting point (in this game in the absence of Rondo), for the defending champion Boston Celtics. Bizzare-o world.

Or that the Kings took down Denver. Or, that Phoenix is now four games out of that eighth spot. Can they really not make the playoffs? That just doesn’t feel right.

Thoughts on ROY? Still set on Rose? I’m just asking.

One more thing. Did you all see the starting lineup for the Warriors on Friday night? Let me go through who we didn’t have playing. No Jax, Maggette, Monta, Azubuike, Biedrins. Fun times for the Warriors. Some thoughts on Nellie and what’s going on in the Bay.

ps…. UNC over Duke.

Utah 109 Toronto 101

The game story of this one is simple. The Raptors scored 39 points in the third quarter and were ahead in the fourth. The Jazz missed seven free throws in the fourth… And still outscored Toronto 28-14 in the final quarter. Games are not won when your offense dies like that. This has been the story of the season for the Raptors. Hang around until the fourth and then fade out. The game was the 11th straight for the Jazz and they did it without Boozer who was sidelined with an ankle injury. The Jazz allowed the Raptors to hang around as they struggled to get into the game and adjust to not only the Eastern time zone, but also the hour that was lost due to clocks springing ahead. Once the fourth quarter rolled around, they were awake and were too much to handle for the Raptors, as Toronto shot only 6-19 from the floor in the final twelve minutes. Deron Williams finished with 25 points and 9 assists as Mehmet Okur added 19 points and 11 rebounds and Paul Millsap added 18 points to go with 11 boards. The Raptors had another strong game from Chris Bosh as he finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds as Andrea Bargnani scored 20 points to go with 8 boards and Jose Calderon added 11 points and 11 assists in the loss.

Orlando 86 Boston 79

While the Celtics were able to get the win against Cleveland Friday night, the absence of KG inside was too much for them to overcome yesterday afternoon as they fell to Dwight Howard’s Magic, 86-79. Without Garnett and also point guard Rajon Rondo (sitting out with a sore ankle), the Celtics were unable to get going and opened with their lowest scoring quarter of the season (15 points). While the Magic ran over the Celtics early, and ran out to a 22-point lead, they got lazy in the fourth and allowed the Celtics to cut the lead to three, behind Ray Allen’s 17 fourth quarter points (32 in the game), before pulling out the victory as Howard clinched the game with a pair of free throws in the final minute. Howard finished with 18 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocked shots as Hedo Turkoglu scored 16 and Rashard Lewis added 15. The Celtics were led by Allen, as Paul Pierce had 16 points (but 6 turnovers), and Leon Powe added 12 points and 7 rebounds off of the bench.

San Antonio 103 Phoenix 98

It was a close one for the Suns against the Spurs, but isn’t that always the way. The Spurs have owned the Suns recently and with Phoenix chasing that eighth spot in the West, a loss, is a loss, is a loss. They need to be winning these close games, not falling behind early and then biting at the heels of San Antonio in the fourth. With Tony Parker scoring 12 points in the final quarter and finishing with 30 to go with his 9 assists, the loss dropped the Suns four games behind the Mavericks for the final playoff spot in the West. While the Suns lead by one in the fourth, San Antonio charged back and it was Parker who hit a dagger with 26 seconds remaining to put the Spurs up seven. Tim Duncan had 17 points to go with 15 rebounds while Roger Mason added 18 points. The Suns were led by 23 points and 11 assists from Steve Nash, 20 off of the bench from Leandro Barbosa and 15 from Jason Richardson.

New Jersey 106 New York 101

While we had a close one in New Jersey with a slightly injured Vince Carter and then a solidly clutch Devin Harris down the stretch, the Nets were able to hang on to grab the 106-101 victory. Harris finished with 35 points and 11 assists as he came up huge for the Nets in the fourth, in a game that was close throughout. While it was Brook Lopez who put the Nets up one with 1:54 remaining, Harris sandwiched Lopez’s bucket with four free throws and a layup. After the shot by Lopez to give the Nets the one-point lead, the Knicks responded by turning the ball over and missing shots on five consecutive possessions, securing the victory for the Nets. Vince Carter added 25 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals for the Nets as Lopez put in another strong night with 16 points. David Lee finished with a monster line in the loss, 19 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals for the Knicks, as Nate Robinson had 17 points and Danilo Gallinari 15 points each off of the bench.

Houston 93 Memphis 83

With the Nuggets losing in Sacramento, a win would put the Rockets in sole posession of first place in the North West division. Facing the Grizzlies, that win was quite painless to achieve as the Rockets went up big early, leading 55-37 at the half. They mantained that lead with ease for most of the second half and although the Grizzlies threatened in the fourth by cutting what was a 20-point lead down to 10, the game was never really in jeopardy for the Rockets and they rolled easily to the win despite being outscored 26-18 in the fourth. Yao Ming led the Rockets with 24 points and 17 rebounds, Luis Scola had 18 points and 14 rebounds and Von Wafer added 13. The Grizzlies were led by Rudy Gay’s 21 points, Marc Gasol had 18 points and Darell Arthur added 6 points as he pulled down 12 rebounds.

After rescinding the Tyson Chandler trade yesterday, the Thunder shipped Chris Wilcox to the Knicks for Malik Rose. The Knicks were happy to send cash considerations to OKC along with Rose because, well… Wilcox is actually useful.